Using Stakeholder Theory to Analyze Telecenter Projects

Savita Bailur

Abstract

Involving stakeholders is often seen as a means to more successful information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) projects. Hence, it can be appropriate to research ICT4D projects by taking both the perspective of stakeholder theory and using the tools of stakeholder analysis. This paper uses the example of telecenter projects to illustrate the application of a stake- holder perspective, selecting the specific case of the Gyandoot telecenters in Madhya Pradesh, India. It finds stakeholder analysis can be used both as a best practice template to assess what has been done with stakeholders on an ICT4D project and as an analytical tool to understand who stakeholders are, their behaviors, and the ways in which they are managed. However, it also finds there are problems with applying a stakeholder perspective that must be understood including lack of openness among stakeholders, the problems of identifying who stakeholders are, and the subjectivity of stakeholder classification.